Solar Boat To Cross the Atlantic

Posted by ryuzaki0 on Sunday September 17, 2006 @10:45AM from the sun-and-sea dept.

Roland Piquepaille writes, "A group from Switzerland will soon attempt the first Atlantic crossing in a solar-powered boat. This ship, named SUN21, is a 14-meter-long catamaran able to sleep 5 or 6 persons. The goal is to leave Seville, Spain, in December 2006 and to reach ports in Florida and New York in the spring of 2007. This boat will achieve its 7,000-mile trip at a speed of 5-6 knots, about the speed of a sailing yacht, by using photovoltaic cells and without burning a single gallon of fuel. The consortium behind this project wants to demonstrate that the time has come for solar boats." The boat will cost about $556,000 to build and it will be for sale at some point after its crossing.

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Re:Wow by westlake · 2006-09-17 11:28 · Score: 3, Informative

Finally, an alternative to the environmentally dangerous effects of the sail.
The North Atlantic is one of the most hostile environments on earth
---and they plan to make the crossing in January on solar power at a speed of 5 knots?
This is nuts.